Alleyway secured to prevent anti social behaviour

An alleyway in south Leeds that has caused problems with anti social behaviour over the last few years will now be secured by the installation of a steel gate.

The alleyway near Tingley Crescent in Tingley has been the subject of a range of anti social behaviour including damage to fencing, litter, graffiti and damage to the children’s playground nearby.

Many different approaches have been tried in the past to reduce the problems, including increased PCSO patrols, outreach sessions with young people and investigations by the Leeds Antisocial Behaviour Team.

After consultation with local people it was decided that installing a gate at the end of the alley way will prevent this type of behaviour happening in the future. The gate is a standard alley gate design made of steel and with a mechanism to self close to ensure extra security.

Leeds City Council is working with Morley NPT to ensure the gate is secured through funding from the outer south area committee.

Councillor Peter Gruen, Leeds City Council executive board member with responsibility for neighbourhoods, planning and support services said:

“We are striving hard to tackle any cases of anti social behaviour across the city, and this is a great example of where we have worked with the local community to ensure action has been taken.

Councillor Karen Bruce, chair of the outer south area committee said:

“Alleygating is being used in Leeds as a crime reduction tool and is part of a series of measures to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour and the fear of crime.

“The work we undertook with the local community proved to be very valuable in this case, and we are pleased to be able to fund a gate for the alley to prevent this kind of behaviour.

”The gate will be installed by the end of November and we will continue to monitor behaviour in the area.”

Inspector Paul Sullivan, who leads the Morley Neighbourhood Policing Team, said:"The closure of this alleyway supports the work we are achieving in the area in terms of tackling anti-social behaviour. It also shows what can be achieved when the local authority, the police and local residents, all come together to tackle a shared problem."